The Great Perils of High School
by writewithoutboundaries100
Summary: Arthur Read, now fourteen years old, is about to enter the world of high school along with the gang: Buster, Francine, and Muffy. After a falling out with Buster, will the two reconcile? D.W. is still as bad as ever, but with little sister Kate more mature and grown up, is the Read family just as we remember it? Theme from DarkAngelSnapeLover's Infinite Arthur List - High School
1. Introductions and Fond Memories

**A/N: Just trying this out. I'll be putting up one or two chapters every few days. It's definitely not the best thing ever...Don't like, don't read. Theme from DarkAngelSnapeLover's Infinite Arthur Theme List is High School . PM her if you're interested and she'll give you more information. I'll just start it off - so tell me what you think and if I should continue.**

**Credit goes to Marc Brown for characters. I do not own Arthur, Buster, or any other characters. **

Introductions and Fond Memories - Prologue

You may all remember me from my childhood days. The name's Arthur Read. I'm sure you remember the timeless old yellow sweater I used to wear that my favorite Grandma Thora made for me. Though I outgrew it, I still prefer to wear my trademark yellow color, with blue jeans and...contacts. In middle school, (from all that studying) my nearsightedness grew to a whopping -6, and after an incident in which my glasses fell flat off my face, my parents decided the best decision was to purchase a pair of hard contacts that would enable me to look more mature at the same time. My looks aside, I graduated from Katzenellenbogan Middle School, KMS for short, and after finishing out my eighth grade year, the same friends and I all transferred to Elwood High, home of the Grebes.

Most of you probably aren't going to believe this, but I'm starting high school tomorrow. Rumor has it that Mr. Ratburn's cousin, Mr. Ropeburn, is the biology teacher for freshmen. After all I went through with Mr. Ratburn, I am hoping that I do not end up in that predicament once again. I got placed into all honors classes after my hard work in middle school, and my friends might be in my classes. How are they doing, might you ask?

Buster, my ex-best friend, had a falling out with me at the end of eighth grade, after he spread a rumor about me that I liked Francine. Of course, I'm not denying that it's false, but the fact that he had the nerve...anyway, I wonder if we'll ever reconcile after what happened.

Francine, who hasn't changed that much, grew out her hair and it now goes down to her back. She dresses nicely now, but still has a sporty attitude and tried out for all the high school sports teams _last year. _She looks especially sophisticated now that she stands at 5 feet 4 inches, but I still have 2 inches on her. Muffy, on the other hand, is just as spoiled rotten as ever. Her designer purses add up to about fifty now, and her gym clothes consist of pricey sweats with the most expensive shoes on the planet. She's been wearing makeup and going through boys as fast as my hair grows - and that's quickly.

Sue Ellen moved to India in sixth grade and came back in eighth grade looking especially tan, with a hint of an Indian accent. Whenever she speaks, it makes her sound more professional, to be honest. Hopefully we have some classes together! That is, if Muffy doesn't show up to ruin everything along with her...see, in eighth grade, Muffy and Sue Ellen had an enormous fight over the fact that Sue Ellen didn't bring her back anything from India but bought Fern a shawl. Muffy, of course, went ballistic, and that was the end of their friendship.

So I guess that's pretty much it for now. After Brain skipped a grade, not much was heard of him, and Binky transferred to another school in middle school. I heard from Francine that he was coming back this year, but I don't know if I should believe her because Binky seems to have been gone forever...but other than that I'm still really close with all of my friends, and I'm hoping that high school doesn't change our relationships in any way.

Now that's the update on them, but I'm sure that you're all dying to hear about my boisterous, obnoxious sister D.W., who is now in 5th grade and is 10 years old. With side swept angle bangs and hair down to her shoulders, D.W was almost an item in her school after having Mr. Ratburn in third grade, who completely humbled her vain attitude and silenced her bragging temporarily. Now, she prefers to be called 'Winni' in social media, and has a plethora of new friends and classmates who admire her in every way. Rather than wear her usual pink dress, she now wears jeans and a dark pink shirt, with a small hair clip near her right bang. My parents refused to get her a horse or a cat, which made her even more upset about her life, but that was alright with Pal and I for a variety of reasons - I'm sure you can guess at least half of them.

Emily, who went to France over the summer, brought back her new "boyfriend" Pierre and he's going to Lakewood Elementary for another three months while his parents do sightseeing in Hong Kong. Emily was the star of the school, and jealousy slowly crept throughout D.W.'s veins until she practically burst, and forced James to take her out. Not surprisingly, he rejected, and that left D.W. in tears and anger. Hopefully they make up...or Tantrum 911 just might take a trip to our house!

I stopped babysitting the Tibble twins after fifth grade for two reasons: one, being that they got too annoying, and another being that my homework load took a trip to infinity and beyond. Sadly, this did mean a reduction in my earnings and allowance, but it was alright because I landed a job at the library shelving, and it's one of my favorite things to do today because I love the library so much. They've grown taller and more mature now, and act like normal kids, but they do get into arguments quite often, which is the source of their mischief.

Overall, I hate to be mean towards D.W., but I do prefer Kate over her. Calm, sensible, and forgiving, Kate is in second grade at Lakewood Elementary, and has Mr. Marco this year. She loves school, unlike D.W., and does not care about popularity or being in the cool group. Of course, most kids like her for this reason, and she is not afraid to defy those who bully her. Her group of friends consist of Mei Lin, a small cat girl named Jamila, and a rabbit boy named Sanjay. They are a small group, but Kate's friends with everyone, even D.W. Unfortunately, D.W. can be horrible to Kate at times, and can pinch her when she makes her mad. Honestly, I feel like my heart breaks when she does that. Kate's my little sister, and D.W. should know better. Whenever I look at Kate, I always imagine that innocent, angelic baby that most of you remember, and I hope she stays that way, not corrupted by society like D.W.

So those are the important people in my life right now. My parents are just about the same - Mom's still an accountant, and Dad's catering business has never been better, with business booming as more and more people turn to him for cakes, pies, and more mouthwatering delicacies. The whole house can smell like jam pudding, rice with beans, or even vegetable Lo Mein. I love my parents no matter what they do, so either way, my life's fine. I just hope that high school doesn't break us apart, or change the way I am, because I know that happened to the Tough Customers, who turned good at the end of fifth grade, stayed that way through middle school, and went back to their usual ways in ninth grade, with Slink and some other kids starting to smoke cigarettes and do all sorts of bad things that shouldn't have been done in the first place. Mom's always told me that peer pressure could change my life forever, so I know that I need to steer clear. To me, the freshmen always looked so big as a little eighth grader, but I'm going to be one tomorrow, and I'm nervous.

High school is the last step in my education, and I'm going to do everything I can to make it count.

**A/N: That's the end of the introduction. If there are any characters (ex. George, Jenna, etc.) that I didn't mention that you would like to hear in the actual story, let me know and I'll add them to the list. Ideas, suggestions, and criticism are welcome! Chapter 1 will be up soon :)**


	2. First Impressions

**A/N: I've got a lot of time on my hands, so I'll try to update this regularly with a few bits of chapters at a time. Brand mentions - Converse.**

Chapter 1: First Impressions

My heart beat faster. The clock was ticking. Perspiration dripped down my forehead and onto the covers of my blanket as I stayed awake, staring at the ceiling of my room, which is just the same as you remember it.

Five thirty and thirty seconds.

Five forty-five and twenty seconds.

I could almost feel the stress of high school pour its way into my heart as the chimes sounded for six. Only a half hour to go before I needed to wake up and get ready for school. I bought a new yellow button-down shirt with new jeans for my first day, and ditched my old sneakers for navy blue Converse. As you can probably tell, I'll never give up that yellow, no matter what people tell me to do, even if Francine does, and boy; her opinions mean a lot to me.

Finally. The waiting was over. I could hear footsteps padding over to my room from Kate's, and saw her coming towards me.

"What's up?" I asked her.

"Arthur...I'm really nervous for second grade. A lot of kids say that Mr. Marco is tough, and he hates cheaters."

"That's true, Kate, but I know that you're really honest and you won't do anything to upset him. Yes, Muffy got into trouble when we were in second grade, but she had no idea what addition and subtraction were, and lied to Francine about it. I have full faith in you to be on Mr. Marco's good side. Just tell him that you're a Read," I winked, but small tears trickled down Kate's cheeks.

"Don't worry, Kate. This year is supposed to be a lot of fun. Next year, if you have Ratburn, things are going to get a lot worse, so just have a lot of fun in Marco's class, and be sure to get the most out of it," I told, her, in a comforting tone.

She smiled at me, and then went to her room to get ready for school. Noticing that my chat with Kate had taken a good fifteen minutes, I knew that I needed to get out of bed and start getting ready for school. Quickly, I brushed my teeth, hopped in the shower, and combed my hair, although it still remained flying in all directions, almost like my father's hair.

Suddenly, there was a loud scream from D.W.'s room. Being the 'big brother' and all, I went to go check on her to see what happened, and did not notice a thing. Tears cascaded down D.W.'s face as I noticed her broken nail.

"D.W.! It's just a broken nail! Get dressed and get ready for school NOW! Or you're going to be late!" I yelled, angrily. D.W.'s first day of school drama dates back to kindergarten, and there's nothing you can do to stop her.

She scowled at me, and then pinned her bangs back with a sparkly clip. She twirled around in a black lace skirt with a pink polo top tucked in. On her feet, she wore heeled sandals. In my opinion, she seemed ten years older than when Francine and Sue Ellen did back in fifth grade. They wore their usual shirt and jean combo, but D.W. was turning into Muffy with the attitude and everything.

"Why are you dressed so fancy?" Kate asked.

"None of your business, baby," retorted D.W.

"Excuse me? I think you're being the baby now," said Kate with a smirk.

"Ugh, just forget it!" screamed D.W., and ran downstairs, crying half of her sparkly eye shadow off of her face. Mom and Dad refused to let D.W. wear makeup, but she sneaked it on every day after Emily bought some in fourth grade.

"Good riddance," I called after her.

"Arthur, even though D.W. is so mean, we shouldn't bully her. I feel bad for what I said earlier. Should I go tell her I'm sorry?" asked Kate.

"I guess you're right, but we can't always be falling prey to D.W.'s demands."

"I know."

"Well, Dad just finished the first day of school breakfast, so let's check it out!"

"Awesome, let me just get dressed and I'll meet you downstairs, Arthur!"

So saying, she left, and I ran downstairs, finding D.W. enjoying a large stack of pancakes with maple syrup and loads of butter. I told her that I was sorry for yelling at her, but all I got back was a cold glare. Rolling my eyes, I went back to my breakfast, chugged down a glass of milk, and was about to head out the door.

"Mom, Dad, I'm leaving! See you after school!" I said. Kate and D.W. said their goodbyes and boarded the bus to Lakewood Elementary. It's hard to believe that D.W.'s in fifth grade, because she's so mature.

I'm not expecting a big surprise or anything from my friends, because I know they look the same from last year. Just two weeks ago, we had a reunion in the tree house, and Muffy provided a myriad of mouth watering delicacies that her chef had prepared for us to munch on.

Thinking about these memories, I walked about a quarter mile from our house, and saw the huge blue banner:

"WELCOME TO ELWOOD HIGH! HOME OF THE RED AND GREY FALCONS!"

Gulping, I took one step further and began to climb the stairs, when all of a sudden, I saw a limo.

Francine and Muffy stepped out.

Muffy is probably the same as you remember her, only now she ditched the braids and wears her hair down with a headband. With a jean skirt and black tank top with matching heels, Muffy looked dramatic, but too much for my liking.

Then came Francine.

She had her signature red color on, only it was a tunic, and looked almost like a blouse. She wore it with jeggings and black combat boots. Her hair was in a side braid, and she looked completely different in comparison to when I saw her at the reunion. I assumed she got her hair cut, because it was in layers now, and she had a bang on the side, similar to D.W.'s.

"Arthur!" they both yelled, coming up to me and each giving me a small hug.

"Hey Muffy, Francine," I said.

"What's your schedule looking like? I have Mr. Ropeburn for Honors Biology, third period!" said Francine.

"I have him too, third period! I really wished I wouldn't have him, but I guess it's just fate," I told her.

"I guess. At least I don't have Mrs. Marsmit, the evil history teacher who assigns two textbooks to read in three weeks!" said Francine. "Arthur, we have the same lunch period, fifth, too!" said Francine, happily. "George will be there too," she announced, and I rolled my eyes.

"Yikes! I have her!" screeched Muffy. "There's got to be a lawsuit in here somewhere! At least you two have lunch together. I have it seventh, with _Buster,_" she droned.

"Alright. So Arthur, you have biology and Spanish with me. Sue Ellen's in our biology and lunch period, Binky's in our Spanish class, and..."

"Wait. Binky's back?" I asked, totally confused.

"Well, yeah, didn't you get his email? He transferred after the tuition at his fancy private school went up ten thousand dollars and his parents couldn't afford it anymore! Anyway, Molly didn't pass Spanish 9, so she's going to be in our class too. Muffy, you don't have any classes with us, unfortunately." She winked at me at the word 'unfortunately.'

"Wonderful. I gotta get to class now. Bye, girls!" I said to them as I ran up the steps in an effort to find my first class, homeroom. On the way, I bumped into Buster, and stared at him for a moment, neither smiling nor frowning.

"So...you're excited for class?" he asked.

"Yeah." I said, and walked off angrily. I wasn't ready to forgive Buster, at least not yet.

I began to walk down the hall towards my first class, Spanish. Francine and Molly were already waiting there, and I barely recognized Molly as the girl who used to bully us in third grade. Her hair was much longer now, but she still had ripped jeans and a tank top. Chewing gum, she brushed her bangs to the side of her face and took a good look at me.

"Hey...Molly..." I anxiously stammered.

"Arthur, if you sit at this desk next to me, you're enterin' a world of pain!" yelled Molly. "Sit next to your girlfriend Francine or on the other side of the room!" she yelled.

Blushing, I took a seat next to Francine, then whispered,

"Just so you know, I'm not your boyfriend!"

"I know that, Arthur Read, and I don't care. I'm with George now, and it's not like you can do anything to stop me," she glared.

The feeling?

It was like being stabbed in the heart.


	3. Teachers and Torture

**A/N: As promised, here's the update. Planning ahead - shoutout to TheUltimateCombo for suggesting the name of Arthur's new math teacher, Mr. Kevin Stein. Sofia2015, I like your name too, so I'm going to use it for his Spanish teacher. Hope this update keeps you reading :) No flames :D**

Chapter 2: Teachers and Torture

You probably don't remember me as being one of the characters that cried a lot. I didn't. Crying, to me, was a form of weakness, and I never felt like doing it in public anyway. The one time I really had emotions running through me was when I got lost at the edge of town. Hopelessness is the one word I could use to describe that feeling. I was lost, scared, and alone.

That's a great way to describe how I'm feeling now.

Like I said, I don't cry often, but now is one of those times I felt a stray tear running down my cheek. Yes, I'm in high school, and yes, I'm probably not the guy you'd expect to just start crying.

It was stupid and embarrassing to feel this way over Francine and Molly's harsh words, but I was mortified and my cheeks flushed a deep red. I still considered Francine and I to be good friends, but I wasn't entirely sure if I liked her or not. Those last words she spoke to me changed everything.

As I was getting lost in my thoughts, a tall rabbit entered the classroom. He had brown glasses and was wearing a camel-colored suit. With tufts of grey hair encompassing his face, I began to sweat again. I wasn't sure if it was just me, but he seemed like an extremely tough teacher. If I knew that the jump from middle school to high school was so big, I probably wouldn't have even tried so hard in middle school. Now, I was stuck with all honors classes, except for Spanish, but with a strict teacher, and things couldn't get any worse.

"Buenos días. Me llamo Señor Rob," he said, first in Spanish. From my earlier experience in middle school, I realized that he was telling us his name - Mr. Rob.

"Um, do you rob banks or something?" asked Molly, impudently and suddenly, as if she was the queen of the high school.

"Miss MacDonald! Detention on the first day of school! Can't any of you sit still? You need to understand that I am a very hardworking teacher and do not come to school to joke around in a childish manner. Please either exit the room and go to the principal's office, or sit here without another word. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?" he yelled.

His face was turning a deep crimson, and I began to panic. Was Spanish the best decision? Perhaps I should switch to French or Italian...

"Yeaaahhh, sure. Keep talking," said Molly, in the same rude tone that she had used just minutes ago.

Mr. Rob, looking like he was going to explode, pointed a finger towards the door.

"OUT. I will not tolerate any talking back in my classroom. Leave NOW! If I find that you are not in the principal's office in five seconds, there will be even greater consequences!" he screamed, as the whole classroom seemed to rock to and fro.

"Alright, professor, if you want me to leave, I'm outta here," announced Molly, and ran out the door. As she was leaving she bumped into a tall boy who entered the classroom with a briefcase in his hand, seemingly carrying a laptop and other school notes. He was dressed in quite preppy clothing, and didn't seem to fit in, until I saw his face.

Shelley "Binky" Barnes entered, formally shaking hands with Mr. Rob, then plopped himself down at Molly's old desk. I assumed she was never returning, so I turned around and whispered softly, so that Mr. Rob couldn't hear me,

"Binky? Is that really you?"

"The one and only," he replied with a smirk.

I couldn't believe my eyes. This kid, who looked like he just graduated from military academy, or the most high ranked private school in the country, was Binky Barnes, the boy who had bullied George through elementary and middle school. His voice had deepened, unlike the rest of ours, and he seemed a little bit out of place in the same classroom from which Molly had just left.

Molly got a good look at Binky, her eyes quickly glistening in awe and confusion, and he smiled as she ran out the door.

"Welcome, Mr. Barnes," said Mr. Rob, his red face returning to its normal color. "This is Spanish Two, make sure that you are in the right classroom. I understand we had a small mishap earlier, but nothing should happen from now on," he said to the rest of the class.

"As I was saying, I came to Elwood City twenty years ago. My family is from Segovia, Spain, but I was born in Miami, Florida," he said. "I am sure you can assume that I expect the best of my students, being a graduate of Columbia University. I know that this class may seem a bit difficult at first, but everything I do is for your own good!" he exclaimed, a bit strictly.

However, I knew that the old Mr. Rob was gone, because this guy standing in front of us was really nice, and I couldn't believe that it was the teacher who had pushed Molly out the door for her insolence. I raised my hand.

"Mr. Rob, can I get a drink from the water fountain?" I asked, my throat parched.

"Of course, Mr. Read. Please pick up the orange pass from the file cabinet, sign your name out, and you may leave the classroom. The water fountain is on the right of door 10. If you get lost, there are hall monitors today to help new students and freshmen," he said, and I was so confused why Molly had been an item to get him so worked up. Sure, he still wasn't the best teacher ever so far, but he was definitely improving.

I took the pass and left the room, turning to the right. On the way there, I bumped headfirst into Francine, dropping my books. It wasn't like one of those cheesy fairytale stories when a boy sees a girl and they fall in love, after he reaches his hand out and helps her up. Francine was mad, and when I say mad, I mean it.

"ARTHUR READ! HOW COULD YOU! I WAS CARRYING MY GEOMETRY TEXTBOOK TO THE LIBRARY! CAN'T YOU EVEN SEE WHERE YOU'RE GOING?!" she yelled, looking me in the eye. I caught my breath and noticed that I had scraped my knee. Francine looked at me, angry, and smoothed her skirt.

"I hate this stupid skirt! _Muffy_ made me wear it because she thought I looked cool, but honestly, it's stupid!" she said.

And I couldn't agree more.

"Francine, it doesn't matter what you wear. Take it from a guy. You're the same person inside and out. And honestly, you're really bugging me now, so I should go to the water fountain and go back to class," I said, covering up anything nice I wanted to say. Sure, Francine was great, but I wasn't in any mood to talk to her nicely after she'd just yelled at me in the hallway. What's worse, Prunella was one of the Sophomore Supervisors, and she just yelled at us for talking in the hallway. I rolled my eyes, and walked away from Francine.

"Arthur, wait!" she called.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"Do you want to go the Sugar Bowl after school?" came the reply.

"I think I have to babysit Kate and D.W., but I'll check. If not, Buster said he could come with us tomorrow!" I told her.

"Arthur...can it just be us for once? I need to ask you something important!" she shouted.

"Sure, as long as I can ask you something too right now!" I said.

"What?"

"Do you like me? Like something more than a friend?"

"NO! ARTHUR, THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT!" she yelled, red in the face.

I felt like at that point in time, there were too many mysteries to solve: who Francine actually liked, the mystery of Mr. Rob, and who I was as a person.


	4. Sweet and Sour

Chapter 3: Sweet and Sour

The rest of the day seemed to pass in a blur. Mr. Rob droned on and on about review we had done back in Spanish I. I tried to keep myself from falling asleep, but the temptation was too dear to pass up. I felt my eyes lowering when I suddenly remembered my eye doctor's words: to never sleep in contacts.

Whatever.

"Arthur, wake up! The bell just rang!" screamed Binky. I resisted the urge to rub my eyes, then scrambled out of my seat and ran towards the door. Kids were pointing and laughing, but I didn't care. My goal was to make it to second period without an issue. I walked into, class, which seemed to be death before I even entered.

It was math with Mr. Kevin Stein, who was rumored to be the worst teacher in the history of the world. He was tall and brawny, while entering his late forties, I presumed. He wore an ugly, baggy shirt with the strangest looking pants I had ever seen. His shoes were too big on his feet, and he appeared to waddle with them on. His dark eyebrows resembled a thunderstorm just waiting to happen, and I turned back and gulped.

I knew then and there that I would always remember room P-33.

I stood there.

And stared; straight into the eyes of the evil, miserably cruel teacher whom I had heard so much about.

"Mr. Arthuroo Readi?" he asked.

"Um, know, it's Arthur Read," I corrected, wondering how he could get such an easy name so wrong.

"SILENCE. I NEVER GET ANYTHING WRONG!" he yelled, and I had to hold my nose to keep it from smelling his putrid breath.

"Yes sir, where should I sit?" I asked, hoping I would get a better response this time.

"YOU SIT WHERE I TELL YOU, ARTHUR READ. DO NOT ASK ME ANY MORE QUESTIONS!" he screeched.

"Yes, sir."

I stood there miserably along with the rest of the students in the class. Mr. Stein was the only honors teacher, and I wished I had been put into the lower level quickly. He had the greasiest hair I had ever see, and I hoped he had washed it lately. Two weeks later, I would know how bad he was when a quarter of the class would drop out.

"I will now be giving seat assignments. Class, the first one to speak gets a lunch detention tomorrow," he announced, almost excitedly.

"Arthur Read, take the first seat to the left. Ruby Smith, Kate Ross, and Bryan Thompson behind him," he said, pointing to each desk as he went through the seating chart. I walked over to the left, and immediately noticed a strange smell coming from the cabinet next to me. I disregarded it, figuring it was just a first day of school smell.

"Next to Arthur Read," he went on, and I noticed he pronounced my name correctly this time, "will be Selma Armstrong," he said. I turned to look at Selma. Something about her frizzy raid hair looked familiar. She wore it in a half ponytail with a blue camisole and jean shorts. To complete the ensemble, a white cardigan rested on her shoulders.

After Mr. Stein had finished giving us our seating assignments, we were given a few minutes to get acquainted with the people around us. Selma turned to me.

"Hi, I'm Selma, and I just moved from Glenbrook," she said, and I gazed into her green eyes.

"Hey Selma," I answered back, trying not to sound like an idiot. "Um you have hair!" I exclaimed, smiling. But she didn't smile back. She wrinkled her nose and turned away.

Well, that was rude.

Oh wait.

I'm so stupid. I just asked the most ridiculous question ever known to mankind. And why was I getting so nervous around this girl?

It's not like I've ever seen her before.

A/N: To be continued :) This starting out like a stereotypical Arthur high school fic, but I promise, it will get better!


	5. Buster's Breathless- High School Edition

Chapter 4: Buster's Breathless- High School Edition

Before I knew it, time had passed by, and the bell rang for lunch. The cafeteria was serving spaghetti and garlic bread, and I ran first to the line, only to be stopped by the green eyes of Selma once again.

"Hey Selma, you're new, right?" I said, remembering the one thing she had told me from before.

"Yeah, and I could really use a place to sit," she mumbled, blushing.

Leading her to my table, I introduced her to Francine, Muffy, Sue Ellen and George. Of course, Buster still was not sitting with me, and I don't exactly feel like discussing that falling out at the moment, because just thinking about it makes me feel nauseous. Best friends aren't supposed to betray each other, especially when it comes to girls.

Oh look, I've said too much.

Anyway, I took my seat next to Selma, and on the other side of me was Francine, and next to her, George. As I was enjoying my food, I saw George lean over and kiss Francine as she was about to start doing her homework.

Don't say anything, don't say anything, don't say anything...

"Hey Selma, want to go to the Sugar Bowl after school and get milkshakes? It'll be just the two of us," I said with a wink.

Oh shoot, that's not what I meant to say. It was a moment of haste, and the top priority was getting Francine's attention away from George with only one emotion..

Jealousy.

Whether she felt it or not, Selma replied right away, her green eyes shining like emeralds.

"Of course Arthur, that sounds wonderful!" she said. "What are we supposed to do at the Sugar Bowl? Is it a place where kids get more and more things to do?" she asked nervously.

"Don't worry about it," I reassured her, "the last thing you're going to want to be doing there is homework!"

"See you at 4 then!" she exclaimed, and I had myself a 'date' with Selma Cooke.

As I finished the last forkful of the pasta, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Startled, I turned around, and it was Jenna, looking pale and pointing to something anxiously.  
"Arthur, you're training to be an EMT right? And you're CPR certified?" she shrieked, looking around the cafeteria as the noise ceased and all heads turned in my direction.

"Yeah, why?" I asked, confused.

"Because your ex-best friend is lying on the floor unconscious and can't breathe!" she yelled, almost throwing me off of my seat.

Buster lay in the middle of the cafeteria, his face purple and his limbs still, with a sobbing Sue Ellen telling everyone that the nurse was dealing with another emergency and could not make it in simply 5 minutes.

It was up to me to save my ex-best friend's life.


End file.
